The close of 2018 gave us plenty of opportunity to reflect on what has transpired in the data centre industry within the last 12 months. Indeed, it ended up being a good year. But instead of looking back on the successes of 2018, it might be helpful to look forward to the predictions being made for the rest of 2019.

Looking at 2019 predictions affords us two opportunities. First, it allows us to anticipate what might be coming down the road. Second, it also allows us to come to terms with what should happen – whether or not every prediction actually comes to fruition.

1. Steady Cloud Migration Will Continue

This first prediction is, admittedly, easy to make. I believe that data clearly shows the steady migration to the cloud observed over the last couple of years will continue in 2019. I am not necessarily convinced of accelerated migration, though.

Cloud migration was fairly stable throughout 2018. There was no explosive growth as was anticipated this time last year. In fact, the explosive growth predicted ever since the first cloud was introduced has never materialised. Instead, cloud migration has been a slow and steady process from the get-go. In my opinion though, nothing will change in 2019.

2. IoT Adoption Will Balloon

While cloud migration remains slow and steady, IoT adoption is likely to balloon in 2019. At the forefront will be industries like commercial aviation and energy. What used to be a technology that allowed smart appliances to talk to manufacturers has become one with the promise of unleashing greater efficiency and profitability on a grand scale.

According to Statista, data shows that the global IoT market has grown continuously from 2009 right through to where we are at in 2018. The data suggests a global market worth some USD $1.7 trillion in 2019.

3. Blockchain Will Emerge As a Security Solution

The private blockchain networks that power cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are well known for their built-in security. Although nothing in the internet age is 100% secure, blockchain is the most secure option we have right now. That is why financial institutions, large corporations, and even governments are starting to look at it as a data protection tool.

I firmly believe that 2019 will see a rise in multiple blockchain networks for finance, government, and healthcare. These new networks will create more secure systems for non-negotiable, real-time network transactions. This will lead to greater monetisation of the new private networks.

4. Companies Will Invest Heavily in 5G

Experts say that 5G technology will not be ready for prime time until sometime in 2020. However, those companies intending to take full advantage of it are likely to invest quite a bit in infrastructure in 2019. They want to be on the cutting edge when the roll-out actually starts.

5. Wireless Internet Will Make Great Strides

As things currently stand, network layers within the data centre industry have made it very difficult to break away from wired network connections. Wireless technology simply has not matured enough to facilitate doing away with hard connections. Expect big strides in this area in 2019.

With 5G only a year away from roll-out, we expect other wireless technologies to also push forward. The goal is to eventually make the wired connection completely obsolete. Once the world is truly wireless, it will open up even more doors to global network connectivity.

6. Infrastructure Will Be Re-Imagined

There has been a growing trend among customers to demand more of their IT vendors. Customers want a one-stop shopping experience for everything IT related. To make what customers want actually happen, infrastructure will have to be re-imagined. I fully expect that process to begin in 2019.

New infrastructure will make it possible to develop new ways of networking and computing. It will affect everything from managing data to directing how multiple remote systems communicate across a network. It will even touch the local data centre in terms of how it offers software, hardware, and resources.

7. Data Centres Will Continue Going Strong

It has been suggested over the last 12 months that data centres represent an old paradigm and are destined for the scrap heap of technological history. I have to say that I wholeheartedly disagree. Data centres still power the internet. They are an invaluable resource for housing the data and applications that make the world run.

Technology may evolve quite rapidly in 2019. Data centres will evolve right along with it. I am anticipating an incredibly good year as our industry seeks to embrace every new technological advancement capable of making us better.